Triplets
by buffy4angel73
Summary: AU What happens when Bones finds out that there is more to Booth's family than he has ever told her?  I know that Booth really has no other family but I couldn't stop thinking about what the three of them would be like - all hot of course :  Mmmmmmmmm
1. Chapter 1

_Triplets by Angel4buffy73_

_Rating: M_

_Disclaimer: Sadly, I own none of the characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel or Bones but I do love them all._

_Pairing: Booth/Bones, Angel/Buffy, Angelus/Lindsay_

_Summary: What happens when Bones finds out that there is more to Booth's family than he has ever told her? What will they think of her when they meet her?_

Booth was sitting in the Diner waiting for Bones to show up for their lunch date. He was tapping his gambling chip on the table as he was worried because that when he asked her to the party that it would lead to some information about him that he had never shared with her and he hoped she wasn't hurt.

Bones walked towards him wearing one of her patterned dresses that he loved so much. When she wore a dress it showed off her amazing figure and he would always feel a response in his body that he knew if she had any idea about she would turn away from him and it would ruin their relationship and he was more scared of that than just about anything else in life.

Bones sat and they made small talk while they ordered their lunch. He was trying to work up the nerve he would need for this conversation. It's now or never, he thought to himself.

"So Bones I have something to ask you?"

"What is it Booth?"

"Well you see its well, its, you see well Pops is turning 80 in a few weeks and there is party for him and he would like you to come."

"Oh when is it?"

"It's the last weekend of this month."

"Well if we are not working a case I can go out for the evening I suppose."

"No well it is in Los Angeles so you will have to take some time off and book a flight."

"Oh LA, why is it in LA?"

"We have family out there." He said evasively.

Pinching a chip off his plate she thought about this and answered, "Well I will have to check my schedule but I will get back to you."

"It would mean a lot to him if you came along, he really likes you."

"Well in that case I will try and arrange it. Where are you staying when you go out there? If I come with you I will have to book accommodation and it would probably be easier if we are at the same hotel."

"Oh we, you see, well we will, um we will be staying at my brothers."

"I didn't know that Jared and Padma moved to LA."

"They didn't." He stopped and took a deep breath and told her the truth finally. "We are staying at my other brothers."

She stopped eating his chips and started at him. "What? You..what? How come I didn't know you had another brother?"

It was time to tell the whole truth to her, once she knew this then there was nothing that she didn't know about him. "Well actually I have two other brothers besides Jared."

"You do? Who are they?"

"Their names are Sean and Liam."

"More information please? What do they do? How old are they?"

"Sean is an assistant district attorney and Liam is a private detective."

"Really? So how old are they?"

Looking sheepishly at her he answered "Well they are, they are um both 38"

"But your 38, so that would make you, well that would make you all triplets."

"Yep you got it. Sean is the oldest and Liam is the youngest." He took a large gulp of his coffee nearly burning his tongue but he had to do something to stop looking into her eyes waiting for the hurt and the anger at not having told her this before.

"So you are in the middle. So what are they like? Are they married?"

"Sean was married when we were just out of school but is divorced but has been in a relationship with Lindsay for over 10 years now and Liam has been married to his high school girlfriend for nearly 18 years."

"Oh my goodness. I can't believe you have this whole big family you never told me about. Do you have any nieces and nephews?"

"Yeah, I have three nephews and one niece."

"Oh really, um, how old are they?"

"Well um Connor is," he paused thinking about their ages, "Um 17, Dawn is 16, Harry and Allan are 9."

"Why..Why have you never told me about them? In the five years I have known you, you have never mentioned them. Do you not get along with them?"

"No we get along great. They're my brothers I love them. Look Bones I am really sorry I never told you but there are some things you don't understand about my family."

"What and why would you think you couldn't tell me?"

"Because well because we are triplets and people tend to forget there are three of us and they talk about us and treat us like we are one person most the time. They think we are all the same and have the same interests and same personality."

"I can understand your reticence in telling me and I understand that may have happened when you were younger but not at your age. Really Booth that is just ridiculous."

"Well gee thanks Bones and you wonder why I never told you before now."

"I'm sorry Booth that came out wrong. So will I get to meet them at the party?"

"Well yeah the party is at Liam and Buffy's place so everyone will be there. So will you come?"

"Like I said I will have to check but I must admit to being intrigued by seeing the three of you together."

"This is not one of your anthropological studies Bones they are just my family."

"Ok I see why you thought that but that is not what I meant. I just would like to see how you interact with them after seeing you be the over protective father figure in your relationship with Jared, I am curious how you react around them. Too see how different you are in personality when you have the same looks and same DNA."

"Ok sorry for snapping at you. You don't need to find somewhere to stay either as you can stay at Buffy and Liam's if you want to they have heaps of room."

"Oh no, no, I don't think so. I think I would be more comfortable at a hotel. Maybe your sister in law, Buffy was it? Maybe she could recommend something in the area?"

"I'll ask her. They are all looking forward to meeting you."

"They are? So you have told them about me?"

"Yes of course I have. We talk regularly."

Just then Booth's phone rang.

"Booth….Oh hey we were just talking about you…Yeah she wants to but needs to check if she can get away…No she wants the name of a nice hotel in the area…..yeah no I told her that be she said she would be more comfortable at a hotel…yeah ok. So how are you?...Oh good…..yeah he is really looking forward to seeing them too…..yeah ok I'll talk to you later." Booth flipped his phone shut.

"Was that one of your brothers?"

"No that was Buffy ringing to see if I had asked you or not."

"Did she think you wouldn't?"

"Well they are keen to meet you. Parker talks about you and they know we spend a lot of time together, at, well at work and they are curious, especially Buffy. It's a girl thing I think." He gave her one of his cute little sheepish smiles that he knew she couldn't resist hoping she could forgive him. "So am I forgiven for not telling you about my family?"

"No I have gotten used to discovering information about your family in snippets but I wish you felt you could tell me about those parts of your life that are important."

"Ok well you know now and you will discern more about me than you probably ever wanted to know if you come out and spend the weekend with us."

She smiled and he relaxed as he knew he was forgiven. "Ok I will see what I can do."

...

Three weeks later they are on a plane bound for LAX. Parker was in the window seat, Booth in the middle seat and Bones in the aisle seat. Parker was sleeping after taking turns between playing a game console and looking out the window. He had been so excited while they were waiting in the airport for their plane that he had worn himself out.

"Pops is looking forward to seeing you again." Booth told Bones while shifting trying to get a comfortable position for his tall frame in these small seats while trying not to wake Parker.

"I find that I am looking forward to seeing him again too. He is very entertaining and cares about you a great deal. I find that I am interested in seeing how you all interact."

"Bones I told you we are not a study, we are just a family."

"I know I know. So tell me more about them."

"Who?"

"Your brothers and their families."

"Oh ok. Well Angelus is a prosecutor and he.."

She cut him off. "Who is Angelus?"

"Oh," he realised his mistake straight away but she would know soon enough anyway. They mostly only used the names around each other. "Um well I mean Sean. He um, well Buffy started it really, our um, well our names all have Angelus in them."

"No Booth your name is Seeley Joseph Booth, I've never heard you mention the name Angelus before."

"Well when my mom was pregnant she was really sick with us and a few times they thought one or more of us might not make it. This was nearly 40 years ago so you know it was pretty scary for her. So well um well when she was pregnant she prayed a lot so when we were all born safe and healthy we all got Angelus as our third name. Sean Michael Angelus Booth, Seeley Joseph Angelus Booth and Liam Henry Angelus Booth and well Buffy started calling Liam Angel and then one day Sean Angelus and it just kind of stuck."

"Does she have a nickname for you too?"

"No, no there was no way I was having anyone call me that, I let them call me Seeley but well it is Buffy and you will understand once you meet her she has a way of, well you will know once you meet her."

"I don't understand is she intimidating and you are afraid of not doing what she wants. Children of abusive parents sometime marry people who…"

He cut her off, "God no Bones it's not anything like that." He laughed. The thought of Buffy being intimidating to him or his brothers was rather cute. "It is, well, Buffy is, she just has a bubbly easy going personality and she makes everyone feel good about themselves and that it makes you want to do whatever she wants I suppose. You will know what I mean once you met her."

"What does she do?"

"Well it is nothing that she does specifically it's just…"

"No." she cut in, "I mean what is her career choice? You all seem to be in law enforcement of some description so I wondered if she was in some way involved maybe with Liam's business."

"No she is a full time mom. Will four kids and another on the way she works more hours than we do."

"She's pregnant?"

"Yeah she is about 6 months along. It was not planned but they are all very excited about it."

"Is that why you want to be married so you can have a similar life to them?"

"Well it is not why I want it. I'd love to be married and have more kids but yeah they have such a great relationship and wonderful family that if I got half that lucky I would be a very happy man. Don't get me wrong," he stopped and looked at Parker who was still sleeping, "I love Parker and if he is the only child I have I am very blessed but I admit to dreaming of having more." He looked at her wondering if she would ever fall in love with him and imagine a family with him the way he dreamt of one with her. She looked back at him not saying anything but it was not hard to picture Booth married with more children and she found that she didn't like to think of him with another woman even though she wanted him to be happy and she didn't know why.

Clearing her throat to move away from the silent moment that was moving toward being too intimate she continued the conversation. "So she, Buffy I mean, is pregnant at 38 for the fourth time. I am guessing Harry and Allan are twins."

"Um yes they are but no this is her third pregnancy."

"Oh is um one of them adopted because if Connor is 17 and Dawn 16 they can't be twins also."

"No they aren't, obviously. Um Connor is not Buffy and Liam's, he is Sean and Darla's son. Sean dated Darla all though High School and after school they got married. They had Connor but Darla didn't want to have kids and one day she just left. Connor was about one and half at the time. Buffy and Angel, I mean Liam, had just had Dawn and Sean couldn't cope. He was pretty broken up when she left and still in law school so Buffy helped him out a great deal and in the end he decided that Connor would be better off with them so they took him in. I'm sure they were thinking it would only be for a short while but the arrangement worked for them all and Connor was happy so they kept him."

"Oh my goodness, does he know that his parents didn't want him?" She pictured this small baby going through what she did with her parents not wanting to be with her. While rationally she know knew they had a reason they left but for many, many years it felt very different. She felt and affinity for this child she was to meet later in the day.

"Oh it wasn't like that and yes he knows. He calls Buffy mom, and both Sean and Liam dad. He calls Darla by her name when talking about her which isn't very often. He knows that he lives with Buffy and Liam not because Sean didn't want him but wanted a better life for him, a family for him."

"But Sean is with Lindsay now surely they could be a family?"

"Well yeah but Sean was angry at Darla for a long time and he, well he comes across very um, well he can seem very cold at first, which is what makes him such a great prosecutor as he has this steely glare that cuts though most people and makes them very uncomfortable. He was messed up about family and relationships for a long time. With what we went through as kids and then with Darla….well it took him a long time to even admit to himself little lone us that he and Lindsay were together but by then Connor was settled and happy where he was. They asked him what he wanted and he wanted to stay where he was. It hurt Sean a lot but he knew it wasn't about him but that when you have kids you do whatever it takes to keep them safe and happy."

"Oh, ok I suppose."

"Look Bones this will all make much better sense when you've met them all tonight, trust me it's not all as strange as it sounds."

"So what is Liam like?"

"Liam is the quieter one of us. He was a total bookworm when we were kids, rarely got his nose out of a book for anything. He used to, well he used to get bullied a lot in middle school because of it. Back then we were all short and scrawny. Once we moved on to high school we grew but before that there wasn't much to any of us. Sean and I played sport but Liam was not interested. He was painfully shy and really didn't have that many friends until he met Buffy. She was a little firecracker back then." He paused and smiled thinking about the first day they all laid eyes on little Miss Buffy Summers. "Some of the older kids were bullying him. It was her first day at our school, Sean and I spotted the trouble as the same time she did and before we could get to him she had marched over and given these great big senior jocks a tongue lashing. They just cringed as everyone stopped around them and listen to her berate them. It was amazing to watch. Within a week they were a couple and have been ever since then."

"So that means they have been together for over 22 years."

"Yep and they are still madly in love with each other."

"Wow, that's um, well that's um well wow. People really stay together that long?"

"Yeah they can if they are best friends as well as lovers." He lowered his tone when he said this and she had to look away again. She could feel herself slightly blushing but didn't know why. A change of subject was needed.

"Ok. So how come Hank didn't come with us."

"Oh well he is going out to spend a month in LA with Liam and Sean and he leaves tomorrow as he had some fishing trip already planned before I told him what day we were going out. I can only get a few days so we are a day early. Plus this way he flies out with Jared and Padma and we get to have a night without Jared."

"Gosh Booth that is a bit rough, I thought you guys had worked out our problems."

"We have but he will always be my little brother not my best friend and well he, well he just annoys me some times."

"Well after seeing you with him I hate to think how the three of you treat him when you are together. He is an adult now who is getting married in a few months."

"I know but, let's not talk about him ok. We are going to land soon. We will deal with all that tomorrow when he gets here."

"You had better wake Parker up then."

Booth turned to his son and just smiled. He loved Parker so much. He leaned in a gentle shook his shoulder, "Hey bub, wake up. We are going to be landing soon."


	2. Chapter 2

Booth pulled the rental car into the drive way of Buffy and Angel's home. He'd always loved this house. It was a two storey white washed family home. The first thing you noticed when you drove up was the great big porch out the front and the green mowed lawn with a garden up front. Two bikes lay on their sides near the front steps and there was the paper still on the front lawn from where a paper boy would have delivered it this morning. This was the type of home he would have loved to have owned and raised Parker in. A home with a yard where they could through the ball around, a yard with a BBQ where he could invite friends over, a house with a master bedroom where he would make love to his wife and make more babies. Ahh! Shaking his head at his inner thoughts, his two bedroom apartment just didn't quite cut it.

Bones was surprised when she saw the sheer size of the house. Booth had said she could stay be she had not assumed that his brother would have such an enormous house. It was large and very suburban. She was so used to living in the city in D.C. that you forget that families live like this. It was well kept but could do with a coat of paint. She felt a small pang of envy and was quite surprised at herself. She was a very rich woman and could live anywhere she wanted but this house screamed home and it was not a place that you lived in alone. Maybe one day, maybe!

Booth let Parker push the doorbell and when Buffy answered the door she squealed excitedly at seeing both Seeley and Parker. She had known they were arriving today of course but was just so thrilled to see them.

"OH my, you really are here." She said pulling Parker into a hug before he could say anything. "Oh goodness Parker you have gotten so tall. You're nearly as tall as me now." She let him go from her hug and put her hands on either side of his face just looking at him. Of course this was making him decidedly uncomfortable and he began to wiggle.

"Hey Aunt Buffy. Where are Harry and Al?"

"They're out in the yard baby if you want to go out and see them."

"Can I dad?" He turned to his father and asked.

"Sure thing bub, but remember to play nice with each other." Before he had even finished his warning to Parker, Parker had bolted out the back to find his two cousins that were the closest to his age.

"What just like you boys used to?" Buffy said looking up at him with a great big grin on her face.

"Come here you." Booth said pulling her into a bear hug and lifting her off the ground.

"Oh goodness Seeley put me down," she said with a light laugh at the end "You'll do your back in again, I weigh a tonne."

"Never, you were always light as a feather. How is my newest little niece or nephew doing in there?" He said having put her back on the ground and was now kneeling in front of her belly with his hand placed on her protruding stomach.

Bones was looking in on quite intrigued by both their verbal and physical exchange. This small blonde woman, she figured Buffy was maybe 5" 3' or 4', seemed to have no boundaries when it came to physical contact with either Parker or Booth. Looking down at the back of Booth's head where he was stroking Buffy's well rounded belly and, although she could not see the look of longing on Booths face as he looked at Buffy's belly, she knew it was there.

"Good but very active, even the twins weren't this bad. I'm sure I have bruises on my internal bruises from kicks." Again, ending her sentence in that light hearted laughter while rubbing her hands lovingly over her belly.

"Actually most mothers are mistaken into thinking that. Is it is very common to feel a lot of movement from the baby as your uterus and all of its supporting ligaments and muscles are stretched to the limit. Some women feel a lot of discomfort, especially when the baby kicks or moves. It is more feasible that the baby is kicking against a nerve, and that can cause the pain to radiate or move to more distant parts…"

Booth cut her off rolling his eyes at her clinical description of an off handed comment from Buffy. Looking back at Buffy who was looking interested in what Bones was saying. "Oh Buffy this is Dr Temperance Brennan, my partner, Bones this is my sister-in-law Buffy." He said introducing two of the most important women in his life to each other.

"It's nice to meet you." Said Bones, putting out her hand to shake Buffy's.

"It is so good to finally me you Dr Brennan. Seeley and Parker talk about you all the time we feel like we already know you. Come here, we're not that formal around here." Before Bones had a chance to ask what she meant, the small, blonde pregnant woman had her arms around her hugging her.

Bones awkwardly patted Buffy on the back while leaning back out of the hug. "Please, call me Tempe."

"Ok then Tempe." Buffy let her go without noticing her awkwardness and ushered them into the house. "Seeley you can put your bag in the den and Parkers up in Connor's room if you'd like. I'll go and put the coffee on." She turned and walked toward what Bones suspected was the kitchen while Booth dropped a bag at the bottom of the stairs and proceeded up the staircase with the other. Bones looked from one to the other and decided to follow Buffy.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you for the reviews and notes regarding this story. I am very sorry it has taken so long for an update and will try not to let it be that long again. To answer a question a few of you had this is all AU there is no supernatural themes in this story._

Booth walked up the stairs carrying Parkers bag and Buffy walked further into the home. At first Bones didn't know what to do. Family situations were not her forte at all. She looked back up the stairs at Booths retreating form and then decided not to wait for him but to follow Buffy.

As she walked through the family room she was thinking about Booths interaction with his sister-in-law. She had never really seen him this open and relaxed around anyone but Parker and Pops. Even with her, while not as guarded as he was with most people, he still held back. Before that moment if you had asked her she would have said that Booth, while a very tactile person, he was not an overly affectionate person but he had hugged Buffy with no hesitation even picking her up. The way he had loving stroked her well rounded belly was very informal and familiar and not reserved at all.

Walking through the family room she noticed it was furnished with items that were rather mismatched and by no means new but it had a really warm and welcoming feel to it. There were books and magazines on the table. There were tabloid magazines and car magazines. Looks like this Liam was into cars the same as Booth was. The room was not what you would call a show case or even tidy for that matter but it was obviously a room they all used and lived in well and was definitely a family room.

There were no art works on the wall or mantle but the room was adorned with pictures in frames and from looking quickly at the vases and bowls they looked like they had been made by children so maybe some of the kids art work. She move toward the room that she guessed was the kitchen to look for Buffy.

Buffy walked into her kitchen and put the kettle on. This was her favourite room in the house. This house had been theirs for the past 10 years. This room had always been the heart of her house. It is where her babies sat at the breakfast bench and ate their breakfast, where they sat after school while she prepared them a snack and they shared with her about their day. It was where she was usually found in the evening cooking the family meal when Angel came home to his family after a day at work. She always felt she breathed easier knowing all her family were inside their home in the evening, safe and sound.

She reached into the cupboard and pulled out two mugs for coffee. Seeley couldn't get enough of the dark strong liquid and she wasn't sure but guessed that Tempe was the same.

"You have a lovely home Buffy."

Turning around to see Tempe standing, somewhat uncomfortably, in doorway she smiled at her. "Thanks Tempe. It could do with some work but we love it here. Please come and sit and tell me about your trip."

"Oh, ok."

"Coffee or Tea Tempe?"

"Um coffee please." Watching Buffy pour the brewed liquid into the mugs, she looked Buffy in the eye. "Coffee is not an appropriate beverage when you are pregnant." Stated Tempe rather bluntly, as was here nature.

Buffy laughed, rather tickled at her bluntness. Seeley had explained, in detail, Tempe's directness and so it didn't offend Buffy, she rather found it refreshing. Laughing she answered, "Oh no, I am not having any, mind you I am jonesing for a cup. It is the only thing I miss when I'm pregnant but it is a small sacrifice to make." Buffy loving rubbed her belly while talking, "I've got some juice for the boys and I am going to have some of that." Handing Tempe her coffee she moved towards the fridge and got out the milk for the coffee and some fruit for the boys for an afternoon snack.

Booth walked in the room and took a rather dramatic whiff of the air. "Something smells great!" He stated with a big wide grin on his face. "So when is Liam getting home?" He asked sitting at the breakfast bench next to Bones.

"Oh he is picking Angelus up from the airport so after 6. Angelus has been in Seattle for a fortnight taking depositions for some big case. Connor and Dawn will be here soon they had late practice so were catching the late bus home."

"Lindsay?"

"Coming straight from work." Buffy replied handing him a mug of hot brew.

"Bless your heart Buffy Summers." Booth says with a big smile taking the mug from her and bringing it to his nose for a smell. "Ahh."

"You know Seeley I haven't been Buffy Summers for nearly 20 years." She replied with a light laugh and an equally bright smile.

"You'll always be little Miss Buffy Summers who tore stripes of Perry and Gage for being mean to Liam."

They both looked at each other lost for a moment in the memory of the first day they had all met.

"So Seeley do you want to go and check on the boys for me and take them out these drinks and some fruit please."

Booth placed his mug on the tray and took it out to the boys in the back yard.

Buffy looked at Tempe as she watched Booth carry the tray out of the kitchen. She could see she wasn't really sure as to whether to follow him or stay. Seeley had explained that she may feel a bit uncomfortable around their family as she wasn't used to such a unit. She knew that telling her that had made him feel like he was betraying her but at the same time it meant a lot to him that she felt safe and comfortable around their little family.

Buffy also knew, just from talking to Seeley and the way he talked about Tempe or 'Bones' as he called her, that he was in love with her. She wanted to talk to her and see if she could gauge her feeling for toward him.

"So Tempe how is the coffee?"

"Um, fine thanks."

"You know we are so glad that Seeley bought you out to meet us. The few times we have been to D.C. you were away.

"Oh well I travel a lot."

"Seeley tells me you are an amazing anthropologist and," she paused and tilted her head as she remembered the words exactly, "'Very brilliant and beautiful' I think were his exact words."

"Well he is correct and I am also a best-selling author." She deadpanned.

Buffy again laughed her light melodic laugh. It was an amused laugh, Tempe could tell she was not laughing at her but that being happy and friendly was her nature.

"How about we go out to the back patio and sit down and have a chat." Buffy asked her while not really waiting for an answer and picking up her juice and walking toward the door.

Bones watched her go and then picked up her coffee and followed. She walked back out to the family room and then out the back to the patio. Looking around she noticed how large the backyard was. The patio was covered and had both a three seater lounge and an outdoor table and chairs. At the end of the patio was a bricked in barbeque.

Over by the garage, that sat in the back corner, was a basketball hoop. Booth was bouncing a ball with Parker and two other blonde haired boys that were rather excitedly trying to get it off him. Booth was laughing and smiling at them and letting them get the ball while encouraging them on how to get it through the hoop. She moved over toward the lounge and sat at the opposite end to Buffy.

Buffy was leaning back against the cushions and had her feet up on a footstool. She contemplated how to start the conversion with Tempe about Seeley and from what she had understood from talking to Seeley was that Tempe did not beat around the bush, she was a straight talker, so she decided to dive right in.

"So how surprised were you when Seeley finally told you about his brothers?"

Turning to look at her sharply Tempe replied, "You knew that I didn't know?"

"Well no but I know Seeley so I know how he keeps things close to his heart private."

"Well he shouldn't, we're partners we should tell each other everything."

"I agree but not because you are partners but because you are his best friend. He trusts you completely."

"What," Bones replied sitting up straighter in the chair and taking her eye off of the basketball game to look directly at Buffy. "No Booth has a lot of friends," she paused and looked back at him on the court and thought about it. She knew he had mates but he did hang out with her a lot, even when they were not working. He played sport but she had to admit even to herself, looking at his D.C. life and what she knew of it, apart from work and his time with Parker he didn't really spend a lot of time just hanging out with other guys. "Doesn't he?" she asked quietly.

"Probably but you are his best friend." She let this sink in a little before asking a more probing question. "How long did you know him before you found out about Parker?"

"Um well we had known each other for over 18 months but had only been partners for about 6 months."

"Did he come out and tell you or did you find out some other way?"

Bones remembered back to the Christmas they were all quarantined at the lab and finding out about that Booth had a son. "No I found out from someone I work with."

"Seeley is the a very loving and giving man but he worries a lot about the people he loves getting hurt because of him."

"I'm not going to hurt him or his family."

"Consciously he knows that. He was never this closed off before. After he was hurt badly he just shut down his emotions and feeling outside the family."

"After Rebecca?" Bones asked. She knew that Rebecca had hurt him a lot when she had refused his marriage proposal.

"No way before that. I know if I tell you this then you won't tell him I told you. He would be mad if he knew I was discussing his private life, even with you." Buffy leaned over and placed her hand reassuringly over Tempe's. Trying to convey through her touch how important this was.

"I can't lie to Booth if he asks me."

"I know and I respect that so I'll tell you anyway. Just be careful when you do talk to him about it." Buffy stopped and took a deep breathe. Knowing that Seeley would be upset with her if he knew she was talking about this didn't stop her as she realised that these two did love each other and Tempe needed to understand why he was so cautious. "It was in Iraq over 13 years ago when he was captured."

"You mean tortured?"

A shudder ran through Buffy at the memory of Seeley in the hospital on his return to the States. "Yes he was tortured. He recovered physically quite quickly but emotionally it took a lot longer. That is when he started gambling. We never found out the details as it was all classified but from his injures and the state of his body," She stopped and wiped the tears that were sliding down her face at the memory of him back then. "God I never want to see that again. Even when he had his tumour out it wasn't that bad."

"I've seen his X-rays. His feet."

"Yeah but not only that. They beat him and starved him. When we finally got to see him it was a week after he was rescued as he had been sent to Germany to a hospital there and then brought back to us here in LA. He was so gaunt and black eyes that he was only just starting to see out of and they broke a few fingers. God I don't mean to be all weepy and heavy on you so early in your visit. Sorry."

Bones wiped the tears from her eyes at hearing how badly injured he had been and imagining exactly what might have happened to him during that time. "I knew it had been bad but not how bad, he never said."

"He won't and the point was I guess they threatened probably his family and that combined with a childhood of abuse and learning how to hid things from an early age it culminated in his need to trust before he mentions anything and it is more likely that they find out in other ways. You need to be patient with him. Be there when he tells you, hold him tight. With everything from their childhood and then this, well Angel was the same. It took me a long time to find out all the details of what happened with their dad and how bad it was but I find if I get Angel in an emotional place where he feels safe then he will open up." Buffy thought about that. It had taken a long time for her to find a place that Angel felt total safe enough to open up emotionally to her. It was when they were in bed, cuddled up to each other, with her holding him and letting him realise that he had nothing to fear or be ashamed of with her. "You just need to find out where that place is for both of you. They come across as big tough boys but on the inside sometime they are still the scared little boys whose dad hit them."

"Thank you for telling me. I know it was hard for you to break his trust like that and I respect that. It's good to know Booth has such a loving family." Bones gave her a soft smile. She had a lot to think about and wasn't quite sure where all this information fitted. She needed to mule it all over but it definitely explained a lot.

Just then the basketball rolled over to the side of the patio where the women were sitting. Booth ran over to get it and looked up at the serious faces on both. "Hey you two, why so serious?" He had tilted his head slightly trying to work out what had changed their mood.

Buffy answered immediately and tried to cover the mood with a smile, "Just telling her all about your teenage adventures!"

"Argh don't do that." Booth answered laughing also. "Hey Bones want come shoot some hoops with us?"

_Well I hope you enjoyed this. Hopefully it makes sense. Please let me know what you think good or bad. _

_Next chapter we will get to meet Booths brothers Angel and Angelus. _


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